"I see."
Hearing Mitokado Homura's words, Yagami gave a slight nod.
In truth, this arrangement was not bad.
If the village higher-ups had appointed him commander-in-chief, only to send another advisor to the front lines to supervise the battle, that would only get in the way of both the army and himself.
But if Homura had only come to deliver an honor from the village, then there was nothing to worry about.
It did not matter where it was presented.
"Bring it over."
After declining Yagami's invitation, Mitokado Homura gestured behind him.
Two masked Anbu stepped forward, carefully carrying a brocade box between them.
It was clearly a small box, yet it required two Anbu to hold it together.
That immediately drew curious looks from the surrounding Konoha shinobi.
"This is the honor the village has decided to bestow upon you."
Mitokado Homura took the brocade box from the Anbu and slowly opened it. His expression was solemn.
"Although it has no practical use, its meaning is anything but small. I hope you will cherish it."
"Understood."
Seeing the serious look on Homura's face, Yagami nodded properly.
To be honest, he was also curious.
Just what kind of honor had the village leadership prepared?
"Accept it."
Mitokado Homura opened the box completely and gave a rare smile.
"This represents the unanimous recognition of the village higher-ups for your achievements on the Sunagakure battlefield."
The moment Yagami saw what was inside the box, realization flashed through his eyes.
So it was this.
Inside the brocade box lay two sleeves.
Along the edges of the sleeves, red thread had been embroidered into flame-like patterns.
The overall design was almost identical to the Hokage's ceremonial robe.
The only difference was that these were only a pair of sleeves.
For a moment, Yagami did not know whether to laugh or sigh.
The village higher-ups had made it sound so mysterious, and Mitokado Homura had acted so solemnly, that even Yagami had felt a little expectation.
In the end, it turned out to be this.
But after thinking about it carefully, it made sense.
They had already said this was an honorary reward.
And when it came to displaying honor in Konoha, there were few things more symbolic than the Hokage-style ceremonial sleeves.
As far as Yagami knew, since the founding of Konoha, the only person outside the Hokage to receive something like this was Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.
And even Sakumo had only received a single half-sleeve.
Yagami, on the other hand, had been given both sleeves.
With that thought, Yagami's expression became serious. He reached out and accepted the brocade box from Mitokado Homura.
"What is that? Why does it look so familiar?"
"Yeah… I feel like I've seen that pattern somewhere."
"You too?"
As Yagami closed the brocade box, whispers spread through the surrounding crowd.
Everyone felt that they had seen those sleeves before, but for a moment, they could not remember where.
"That's… a Hokage ceremonial sleeve. No, wait… that's a pair of Hokage ceremonial sleeves!"
One older shinobi suddenly spoke, his eyes burning with excitement.
"The village leadership has given Yagami one of Konoha's highest honors!"
He had seen something similar on Hatake Sakumo before.
That was why he recognized it at a glance.
The difference was that Hatake Sakumo had only received half a sleeve.
Yagami had received both.
The moment the surrounding Konoha shinobi heard the words "Hokage ceremonial sleeve," realization struck them.
No wonder it looked so familiar.
Wasn't that the same style as the robe worn by the Third Hokage?
Everyone's eyes shifted toward Yagami, filled with excitement and admiration.
None of them had expected the village to grant him such an honor.
The Hokage's ceremonial robe was something only the Hokage of each generation was qualified to wear.
Even if it was only a pair of sleeves, it was still enough to make countless people envious.
Among the crowd, Kakashi could not see what was inside the brocade box because of his young age and short stature.
But when he heard the voices around him, he froze slightly.
However, he was not envious.
He was simply surprised.
He had not expected that both his father and his teacher would receive the same kind of honor from the village.
"Good. Now that the item has been delivered…"
Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses and smiled faintly.
"Then i shall return to the village."
His mission this time had been to personally deliver Yagami's honor.
As for why a member of the village leadership had to come all the way to the front line instead of simply sending it with the support troops…
Naturally, it was to show how much importance the village placed on Yagami.
"Lord Homura, please wait a moment."
Just as Mitokado Homura was about to turn around, Yagami stopped him.
"We captured Iwagakure's Four-Tails jinchūriki yesterday."
Yagami handed the brocade box to Kushina behind him, then turned back to Homura with a smile.
"Since you're returning to the village, you can escort him back with you."
"What?"
Mitokado Homura's eyes widened.
"You captured the Four-Tails jinchūriki?!"
For a moment, even an old advisor like him could not keep his composure.
But after the shock passed, joy immediately appeared on his face.
As one of Konoha's leaders, he understood better than most just how important a tailed beast was to a village.
"Yes. We caught him yesterday."
Since Mitokado Homura had been with the support unit the day before, he naturally had not received the information yet.
So Yagami briefly explained the situation to him.
"Hah… excellent. Very well done."
Mitokado Homura's old face was full of delight.
"Bring him here. I will personally escort him back to the village!"
He had already begun imagining how Konoha could pressure Iwagakure after the war.
With their jinchūriki in Konoha's hands, Iwagakure would have no choice but to bleed heavily at the negotiation table.
"Hamaki, go bring the Four-Tails jinchūriki here."
Yagami turned his head and gave the order to Mimura Hamaki behind him.
"Yes!"
Mimura Hamaki immediately vanished from the spot.
It did not take long before he returned, carrying Rōshi over and tossing him onto the ground.
Rōshi was still unconscious.
"Jinchūriki really are monsters when it comes to recovery."
Looking at Rōshi lying on the ground, Yagami could not help but sigh.
Yesterday, this man had been on the verge of death.
Yet after only one night, his breathing had already begun to stabilize.
"Kushina."
Yagami carefully sensed Rōshi's condition, then turned toward Kushina.
"Do you have a sealing technique that can temporarily suppress the Four-Tails completely?"
If Rōshi was allowed to continue recovering through the tailed beast's chakra, he would probably wake up before they reached Konoha.
If that happened, Mitokado Homura and the others might not be able to control him.
It would be troublesome if he managed to escape.
"Leave it to me."
Kushina stepped forward with confidence.
When it came to sealing techniques, the Uzumaki clan had never lost to anyone.
Something like this was exactly her specialty.
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